


Magitale Shorts

by KeiSilex



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Magitale AU, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Pre-Undertale Pacifist Route, Undertale AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 05:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12102126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeiSilex/pseuds/KeiSilex
Summary: A collection of short stories for my Undertale AU, Magitale. These short stories are used to explore the AU's world, lore and characters.





	Magitale Shorts

**Author's Note:**

> For all information on Magitale, you can go to http://magitaleau.tumblr.com/

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This short story takes place about two years after the barrier is broken and Magi have returned to the surface. Toriel is now a school teacher and today's class is about an important topic involving Magi, and formerly Humans; Magic.

Toriel smiled as she opened the door and stepped into the classroom, quiet conversations and hushed voices fading to silence as students turned their attention to her. It made her heart fill with joy that these dear children were so eager to learn from her teachings, and only made her more excited for the lesson she had planned.

She briefly caught sight of Frisk and Asriel, sat in their usual places next to each other. Those two were practically inseparable since Asriel returned, much like he had been with Chara, all those years ago.

Lightly shaking her head to get herself back on the lesson, she smiled pleasantly at everyone. “Good afternoon, dear children.” She greeted. “I have a very exciting lesson for you today. Today, I am going to be teaching you about _Magic_.”

A few hushed whispers started up and heads perked up with interest. Toriel had mentioned Magi and their magical abilities before, but had never gone in depth with it. Until now.

Toriel chuckled softly and held up a hand to regain everyone’s attention, before she turned to pick up a whiteboard marker. “Alright, now, there are two kinds of magic; Magi magic and Human magic.” She started, writing ‘Human’ on one side of the board and ‘Magi’ on the other. “Can anyone tell me what the difference is between them?” She asked, turning to face her students.

A few hands rose, most tentatively while two had gone up immediately. She didn’t need to look to know who’s hands those were. She pointed to a young boy near the back of the class first. “Go ahead, Tristan.”

“Um... Magi magic is tied to what kind they are, and human magic... is tied to nature?” The young boy answered, clearly sounding unsure. Toriel gave him a kind smile.

“Well, you are partly right. Indeed, Magi magic is tied to what kind of Magi they are, but that’s not the main difference.” Toriel replied, noticing other hands went down. All except two. Inwardly chuckling, she turned to them.

“Asriel?”

Her child smiled brightly at being picked and immediately sat straight-backed in his seat. “Magi magic is innate, meaning they have their magic from birth. Humans don’t. They have to really study magic before they’re able to use it, and that’s only if they have the _ability_ to  use magic to begin with. But it means humans can use different kinds of magic, whereas Magi are only limited to the few kinds of magic they’re born with.” He answered.

“Correct.” Toriel said proudly, turning to the whiteboard to write ‘born with’ under ‘Magi’ and ‘Has to study’ under ‘Humans’. “Back before the Great War, Humans could use all kinds of different magic, but they had to study very hard to even know how to use these different kinds of magic. However, by the time the Great War began, most humans had completely lost the ability to use magic, and many of those that still could found their magic was weaker than those of previous generations. Does anyone know why?”

Once again, Frisk and Asriel’s hands were straight up, soon followed by a few other hands. Toriel nodded to a young lady in the front row who seemed confident. “Yes, Alex dear?”

“It was because of technology, right?” She answered.

“That’s right.” Toriel replied, beaming. “While it was no where close to the modern technology we have today, technology back then was beginning to evolve quickly, and humans began to rely more on that, and science, than they did on magic. Unlike us Magi, who are so deeply tied to our magic, humans found they could live without it and thus, many began to simply give up on it.”

“Magi, on the other hand, can’t exactly live without magic. Our magic is a part of who we are, and to try and live without it means living without a part of ourselves. A Magi can’t live to their fullest potential if they don’t use their magic.” Toriel explained.

Tristan had put his hand up, causing Tori to pause and she nodded towards him.

“Is that why the Great War started? Because humans were scared Magi could still use magic so well when they couldn’t?” He asked, genuine curiosity in his expression but also a slightly anxious look, knowing the Great War was a bit of a tricky subject for some Magi to talk about.

Toriel sighed softly, then gave the young boy a soft smile. “One of the many reasons, yes. I’ll go over the Great War in the future, though, I promise.”

“Now, as said before, a Magi’s magic is tied to what kind of Magi they are, and as Asriel mentioned, Magi could actually be born with a few different kinds of magic. However, Magi always have a main kind of magic, with any others being secondary and usually less powerful than the main magical ability.” Toriel began explaining, turning to the whiteboard to write ‘Limited’ under Magi and ‘Many kinds’ under Humans.

“I will use myself as an example. My main magical ability is Fire magic, primarily in the form of fireballs. But, I can also use healing magic to a degree. King Asgore, however, is similar but different despite us being the same kind of Magi. While his main magical ability is also Fire magic, he is one of the few who does not have healing magic. Instead, he has two secondary abilities known among Magi as Blue and Orange magic. Blue magic is a type of attack magic that _one must stand still_ if it is sent their way to not incur damage, whereas Orange magic is the opposite. One must _move through_ the attack to not gain damage.” Toriel said, just barely stopping herself from frowning when she mentioned her ex-husband.

Though it had been almost two years since they returned to the surface, Toriel still hadn’t entirely forgiven Asgore for all he had done after their children died. But, they had at least agreed to be friends from now on, for the sake of Asriel and Frisk.

“That is just two Magi of the same kind, of course. There are, obviously, many different kinds of Magi that exist and all have their own special kind of magic and secondary abilities.” Toriel finished, smiling brightly at all of her attentive students. Seeing them all so interested in what she was teaching always made her heart swell with happiness and pride.

One of them raised a hand after a moment and she motioned to them with a curious look. “Yes, Dennis?”

“Was it similar for humans? To have a main ‘magical ability’?” He asked in a haughty tone, eyebrows raised in question.

Dennis could be, worrying sometimes. His parents were among those who weren’t entirely accepting of Magi returning, and it was clear he was gaining a poor opinion of Magi from them. Toriel could only hope her class might eventually help open the young boy’s mind.

“Yes and no. It depended on the human and how intensely they studied. Some humans decided to spend most of their study on a particular type of magic, and then learn a little of other types, but some had the perseverance to study equally on a number of types of magic. These particular humans were well respected by both humans and Magi, for having the _determination_ to study that much, and masterfully using those different types of magic, was an impressive feat.” Toriel answered honestly. The answer seemed to satisfy Dennis.

Alex’s hand went up and Toriel happily nodded to her.

“What kinds of magic are there?” She asked and Toriel beamed at the question.

“Many different kinds! There is, obviously, the elemental magics such as fire, water, earth, etc. But within those elements are separate kinds, such as only being able to use fireballs or only being able to control plants and not earth itself. Then there are other kinds beyond the elemental magics, such as the bone magic of Skeleton Magi or the supernatural magics of Incorporeal Magi. There are, also, certain types of magic that only Magi could do due to the kind of Magi they were. Humans were slightly more limited in that manner, for there were certain kinds of magic that they simply couldn’t harness, or they were forbidden from learning due to how dark and morbid those kinds of magic were. Not that it stopped a few humans from trying.” Toriel answered, inwardly sighing at the end as she thought of the ‘Necromancers’ that attempted to learn and use bone magic.

She was, at least, thankful that human society didn’t appreciate other humans trying to learn bone magic, considering it ‘taboo’. Magi bone magic was different, for Skeleton Magi created their own bones that weren’t tied to anything previously alive. Humans trying to use bone magic didn’t work the same; they couldn’t create bones out of nothing like Magi could, so would have to resort to using... other means. And other humans didn’t appreciate that.

Dennis once again raised his hand and Toriel gave a small smile. “Hm?”

The young boy had a curious look on his face as asked, “Is it still possible for humans to learn magic?”

The whole room went still and quiet. Both Frisk and Asriel suddenly looked a little uncomfortable, which Toriel noticed and took a mental note to ask why later, and it took a moment for her to finally answer the question.

“As far as I am aware, no, I’m afraid not. Like mentioned before, humans were beginning to lose their ability to learn magic before The Great War. And as it has been many, _many_ years since then, it would appear humans have completely lost the ability. Most have even forgotten that humans could use real magic in the past, considering such tales as fantasy. Humans rely so much on technology and science now, that it is doubtful humans will ever regain the ability to learn magic like their once did.”

“Of course, there are some humans out there that try to use ‘magic’, but that is more slight-of-hand tricks and well-practised stunts. It is not really true magic like before.” Toriel replied, using her stern voice as she looked over everyone except Frisk and Asriel, lingering slightly on Dennis. She wanted to be sure they all understood that, even if they tried, it was most likely never going to happen that they could suddenly use magic like humans of old. It was best not to let any of them get their hopes up.

Another child put their hand up, and Toriel smiled gently as she motioned to them. Their name was Charlie, a sweet child who often shared their lunch with the other kids that didn’t get as much. They had become quick friends with Frisk, Asriel and Monster Kid.

“How was magic used? Like, did humans use wands or staffs? And what is it like for Magi?” Charlie questioned with a tilt of their head.

Toriel smiled proudly at the questions. “Ah, very good questions, my dear. For humans, it depended greatly on the individual, but most did have to use items that were imbued with magic to use as conduits to aid their abilities. These, as you mentioned, were often wands or staffs but could also be rings, necklaces, bracelets or head accessories such as tiaras, crowns or headbands. Most of these items usually contained gems, crystals or other items that were sensitive to the particular kind of magic the human wished to use.

“There were, however, some humans that were powerful enough to not need the aid of any items or artifacts to use their magic to it’s full potential. But, by the time of The Great War, almost all humans that were that powerful had passed away some years ago, most simply from old age. And those that remained, were getting on in age themselves. They were the last of a dying age of impressively powerful magic-users.” Toriel added, her face falling a little.

She then brightened and smiled again, turning to the whiteboard to add ‘most used magical items to help them’ to the humans side. She then turned back to the class to continue.

“As for Magi, it is very different. We have no need of any magical items to help us. Our magic is a part of our very beings, our SOULs. We begin to learn how to use our magic from a very young age, making it a part of our everyday lives. Most never learn to use it for combat. Though that does not mean we can’t do so if it comes down to it, but it would certainly not be at the same level as those who do learn to use their magic for combat.”

“Now, there is another key difference between humans and Magi when it comes to our magic.” Toriel began to add as she turned to write ‘no need for magical items’ on the Magi side of the board. “Magi magic can ‘change’ our bodies physically. How much of us changes depends entirely on how much we use our magic, with children showing quick changes as they learn to control their magic. Once they do, the changes slow to a crawl and for most they do not change much further throughout their lives, perhaps only changing subtly through the years. Though a Magi’s appearance denotes how much they use their magic, it is not to be used to judge how _powerful_ that Magi’s magic is. A Magi can have very powerful magic, but hardly ever use it and thus look the least changed, compared to a Magi that has used their magic perhaps every day of their lives.”

“Our former Captain of the Royal Guard now Head of our Ambassadors' Security, Undyne, is a good example of a Magi that has been extremely changed due to her extended use of her magic. To humans, she looks like a walking fish-lady monster when compared to most of us Magi.” Toriel finished as she turned to the board to write something. As she did so, though, a voice piqued up.

“Yeah, Undyne is really cool!”

Toriel turned slightly to look over her shoulder and inwardly chuckled as she saw it was Dino Kid, sat just behind Asriel, who was giggling along with Frisk at DK’s enthusiasm for Undyne. Dino Kid wasn't really his name, but a nickname that most people called him due to his dinosaur-like attributes. DK’s admiration for Undyne hadn’t lessened one bit since the barrier was broken. Though, that admiration had recently been beaten for admiration for someone else.

“Papyrus is a lot cooler though. He and his brother Sans are good examples of powerful Magi that haven’t changed a lot like Undyne!” DK added, eyes twinkling as he spoke of the tall Skeleton Magi. Most of the human children gave DK curious looks as he spoke of his heroes, while Dennis gave him an unimpressed look.

Toriel nodded and smiled at DK. “They are indeed, and Papyrus is quite the cool Magi.” She said with a slight hint of motherly amusement, then continued to write ‘magic changes physical appearance’ on the whiteboard under everything she had written for the ‘Magi’ side.

“As for humans, studying magic had no affect on their physical appearance unless they used a spell to temporarily change their appearance. Many did try to figure out how to use magic to extend their lives or keep their youthful looks permanently, but all attempts failed to produce results. Temporary spells were all they ever achieved when it came to changing their physical appearances. However, what they couldn’t do physically to themselves, they could do to the world around them, especially the elemental magics.” Toriel said, writing ‘could only temporarily change appearance’ after speaking.

She stepped to the side so the children could see the whiteboard clearly. “So, as you can see children, magic differed greatly between Magi and humans despite their magic being quite similar in it’s various types. How they used their magic was similar and different as well. Some humans magic users used their abilities to aid other people, such as creating water for crops or putting out fires, or using the very earth itself to divert floods. Magi could do the same, but not to the extent of humans unless Magi with similar magic worked together. What one human could accomplish, could take over ten, maybe even twenty, Magi to perform a similar feat.”

“That is, perhaps, the biggest difference. As powerful as we Magi could potentially be, with our innately born magic that we learn to control at an early age, no one Magi could ever hope to be at the same level as a _well-studied_ human magic-user, let alone the most powerful human magic-users that had intensely studied their magic for years.” Toriel said with a straight face and an honest tone. Even now, without their ability to use magic, one single human was still stronger than many Magi fighting together.

The class was dead silent as Toriel’s words sunk in that, when the bell suddenly rung outside the classroom, it startled everyone in the room, even Toriel.

“Oh my, has it really been that long already? Well then, there will be no homework today, but be sure not to forget everything you have learned today.” Toriel said and gently warned with a pointed look at everyone, since she was planning a pop quiz in the near future about today’s class. “Have a wonderful day, children.”

As the children began packing up and filing out, most said farewells to her as they left. Except for Dennis. He was the first to leave the classroom without a word. She replied to those who said goodbye with a warm smile and either a ‘good day’ or ‘take care’, before turning to the whiteboard to clean it. Just as she started, she felt a hand touch her arm and she looked down to see Frisk and Asriel beaming up at her.

“You did great mom.” Asriel said, Frisk nodding vigorously next to him. Toriel beamed back down at them. “Thank you, my dear children.” She replied, feeling much better about her lesson as she watched the two siblings join DK at the door and headed out for recess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10th Sep 2018; Added more to the short story, as I felt after reading it over recently that it wasn't enough. I feel much happier with it now.


End file.
